


can you see me now

by FantasySwap



Category: Misfits (TV 2009), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Crossover, Humour, M/M, Rare Pairing, Recreational Drug Use, this is a crackfic isn’t it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 14:32:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17899925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantasySwap/pseuds/FantasySwap
Summary: Only Klaus has ever been able to see Dead Ben. That is, until Nathan comes along.





	can you see me now

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know why I wrote this I was bored

Ben is being so fucking annoying.

 

Klaus will always be grateful for the advantage he has over his siblings. Whilst he lost Ben that day just as much as the others did, it’s a little difficult to mourn someone who is sitting next to you and won’t shut the fuck up about your poor choices. Klaus remembers how strange it was to stand up - high as a kite, mind you - to speak at Ben’s funeral and have the man of the hour snort derisively at everything he had said.

 

Klaus has spent years ignoring Ben when in the presence of his siblings, purely so they don’t get jealous or upset or whatever, and it’s all culminated in Ben being a bitter, miserable fuck that won’t leave Klaus to get high _alone_.

 

In all honestly, he has no idea where he is. He’s on a public bench and judging by his surroundings he’s in a park somewhere but he doesn’t remember how he got here. All he knows is that he’s wearing a bloody towel and his black furry jacket (and nothing else), he has a bag of pills in his hand and the ghost of his dead brother is trying to ruin his potential high.

 

“You’re doing so well, Klaus. You’ve been sober for two days.” Ben tells him, the urgency in his voice bumming Klaus out. High and anxious is an emotional state of wreckage that no one should have to endure. Clearly, the logical option is to get rid of the cause of anxiety.

 

“Fuck off, Ben.” Klaus moans, fingers shaking as he tries to tear open the bag. The pills jump around precariously inside the sealed plastic but Klaus will resort to eating them off the floor if he has to.

 

“You always were so self righteous.” Klaus adds for good measure, just because he knows how much it pisses his brother off. “Like you’re any better than me.”

 

Ben sighs and shakes his head, though out of the corner of his eye he can see a muscle in Ben’s jaw twitching angrily.

 

“Klaus,” He says, pinching the bridge of his nose and trying hard to be patient. “You’re sitting barefoot in some skanky park, trying and failing to take ecstasy, and the towel that you’re wearing is covered in your own blood. I may be dead, but I’d say I’m doing better than you.”

 

Klaus is about to mutter his own deadly reply when he hears an unfamiliar voice join in the conversation.

 

“He’s right, you know.” The mysterious person says. “Not that you aren’t totally rocking that look, because you are! But it might be an idea to put some shoes on. There are a lot of needles in this park and you may wanna get high but you probably don’t wanna get HIV, so.”

 

The voice has a lulling Irish tilt to it that makes what would probably be an admonition in anyone else’s voice sound joking and almost flirtatious. Klaus is certain at first that he must be mistaken, the owner of the voice must be talking to someone else because there’s no way they could have heard what Ben just said, but sure enough when he looks up there’s a boy standing right in front of them.

 

He’s cute, in a way. So different from Dave, but just as captivating to Klaus. He has a mop of brown curls and beautiful brown eyes, and there’s a cigarette hanging from between his lips. He’s wearing a bright orange jumpsuit. Klaus wonders briefly if this person is dead. It would explain why he’s able to seemingly see and hear Ben; to test this theory, Klaus picks a twig up from the bench next to him and throws it at the boy. It bounces off his face.

 

That’s that mystery debunked then, Klaus figures.

 

“Ow?” The boy looks confused. “I’m Nathan.”

 

Klaus ignores his introduction in favour on pointing obnoxiously to Ben and raising his voice. “You can see him?” He demands. Ben winces, batting Klaus’ finger away from his face irritably.

 

“Uh. Yes?” Nathan laughs a little uncomfortably. “Are you actually already high? Do I need to call your parents?”

 

“I’m dead.” Ben explains, not bothering to sugar coat it in anyway. If Nathan isn’t already aware that he can see dead people then this might take a bit of getting used to, and Klaus doesn’t think he’s emotionally capable of being someone else’s shoulder to cry on. Especially not right now.

 

“Oh.” Nathan blinks. “Ohhh. Right. Uh, I’m sorry.” Okay, so already aware. That still leaves the question: how the fuck? Up until now Klaus has always thought he was the only one that could actually see and communicate with the dead, not including a variety of fake mediums that had tried to barge into the academy when he was a kid, demanding that his father let them talk to Klaus. Ironically, despite the number of ghosts Klaus always had hanging around him, he had grown up unbearably lonely.

 

“Wait, so… you can just. See dead people? No big deal?” Klaus asks incredulously. Was this another Number? One that his father hadn’t found maybe? Should Klaus be trying to kill the guy, or offering to protect him?

 

“I mean, kind of.” Nathan replies, taking a drag on the cigarette hanging from his mouth. He squeezes his eyes shut for a fraction of a second, savouring the feeling, before releasing the breath with a cloud of smoke. Wisps curl, starkly visible in the crisp morning air.

 

“It’s a side effect.” Nathan continues, oblivious to Klaus’ potentially dangerous interest. The unbearable itch under his skin - the one commanding him to get high now - has abated, lost under his newfound interest in the boy in front of him.

 

“A side effect of what?” Ben asks, drawing Nathan’s attention.

 

“I’m immortal!” Nathan grins. “There was this whole storm and a bunch of people got powers, but I think I really lucked out y’know? Considering the amount of times I’ve died already I’d say it’s come in handy a few times.”

 

As he talks he’s moving closer until he’s sitting on the bench on the other side of Ben. Klaus is still trying to process this. It’s fucking typical that his sober brain is slower than his drug addled mind. Ben squints at Nathan doubtfully and leans back against the bench. He exchanges a look with Klaus and Klaus knows they’re thinking the same thing: _we_ _should_ _probably_ _call_ _Luther_.

 

“You mean you’ve actually died? Like, your heart has actually stopped?” Ben raises an eyebrow quizzically at the same time that Klaus leans forward and asks, morbidly eager, “How’d you die?”

 

Nathan seems to respond to Klaus better. His lips quirk into a sideways grin and he leans forward as well so they’re cocooning Ben.

 

“First time I fell off a roof. Long story there, but I got buried alive and my friends had to dig me back up. Second time was I think… impaled on a pipe? Yeah, some psycho ex of my friend didn’t really like me all that much. Last time I was beaten to death: that was a nasty one.”

 

Klaus laughs gleefully. _This_ is the kind of quality conversation none of his siblings are able to provide him with!

 

“I got knocked over and hit my head. Killed me for a few minutes.” Klaus chips in, excited to have something to contribute.

 

“No shit?” Nathan seems far too excited about that, but Klaus is hardly one to lecture about appropriate social behaviour and how to act when you find out the person you’re sitting next to - the probably crackhead sitting next to the pissed off ghost - has died before.

 

“Would you believe me if I told you I’d met God?” Klaus didn’t even notice that they were gravitating towards each other but now their faces are so close together that Klaus can feel the heat from the glowing ember end of the cigarette against his skin. Nathan’s pupils are big and black. Klaus reaches out and cautiously plucks it out from between Nathan’s lips, taking a drag himself. He blows the smoke against Nathan’s lips. Ben scoffs.

 

“Shit!” Nathan cries suddenly, leaping off the bench. “I’m late. Fuck, gotta go.”

 

“Wait,” Klaus trips over his own feet trying to stand up quickly. One hand in holding the cigarette loosely between his fingers and the other is clutching the towel to his waist, making sure he doesn’t accidentally drop it and traumatise some old lady walking her dog.

 

“Do you wanna meet up later? I’ve never met anyone who can talk to dead people before. You’d really be doing Ben a favour: he doesn’t have any friends.” He whispers the last part obnoxiously loudly from behind his hand, gesturing unsubtly at his brother. Ben rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest.

 

Nathan looks between Ben and Klaus before cocking his hip. “Will you still be sober by then?”

 

Klaus hears it for the ultimatum that it is. Ben does too and he uncrosses his arms, smiling a little. Sibling approval achieved, Klaus nods emphatically, his hair bouncing wildly and falling in front of his eyes.

 

“Totally. Straight edge from here on out, scout’s honour.” He holds his fingers up in what he thinks is the scout’s salute. Nathan glances at this and shrugs as though to say, ‘good enough’.

 

“Sure, why not. Anywhere in mind?” Nathan asks.

 

“You heard of the Umbrella Academy? We had a little stint of fame back in the day, just a little.” Klaus holds his thumb and index finger a centimetre apart to emphasise just how little they’re talking about here. Nathan’s eyes widen and he snatches the cigarette out of Klaus’ hand to point it at him.

 

“Oh! Hey, I see it now. Didn’t your dad just die? Is he gonna show up somewhere too?” Nathan makes a show of looking over his shoulders and double checking the bench that Ben is sitting on. Klaus can’t help but snort, amused. The old man would be so pissed if he saw his legacy being mocked by a public offender in a jumpsuit in some back alley park. Just a piece of cosmic justice, Klaus thinks.

 

“That’s the one. Meet me there. Whoever answers, tell them Luther sent you.” Nathan nods. He hands the cigarette back to Klaus like it belonged to him in the first place.

 

“There better be booze. Or girls. Or both.” Klaus hears the boy muttering as he walks away.

 

“Thanks for the—” Klaus shouts after him, but Nathan is already gone. “Cigarette.” He finishes lamely.

 

“That was a mean trick.” Ben tells Klaus judgementally after Nathan is gone. “You know how paranoid Luther is. He might lock him up in Vanya’s cage.”

 

“Meh, Alison wouldn’t let him.” Klaus waves the worry away, tucking the bag of pills back into the inner pocket of his jacket. He stands suddenly, still holding onto the towel protectively. It’s getting kind of cold out and Klaus needs to get back to the academy to take a shower and get dressed before the urge to get high gets out of hand again. It might be fun to see what would happen if he’s all tied up when Nathan arrives, but on the off chance of the boy running and not looking back Klaus decides not to risk it.

 

“Come on,” He tells Ben, urging him up. “You heard the man. We’ve got booze to buy.”

 

***

 

The Umbrella Academy was always a distant story to Nathan, a fiction his mother told him about before bed. He always acknowledged in some distant part of his brain that they were real, in the same way that his powers now are real. But it never really occurred to him that the students at the academy were real people with real lives until now.

 

Until he saw one dead and one struggling to get high on the way to his community service.

 

It’s been a weird day, made weirder still as he walks up to the massive ornate door to the building. It’s black and sleek and incredibly intimidating. Nathan lifts the knocker and lets it fall back against the wood, making a solid cracking noise, once. Once should be enough, he thinks. There are five superheroes hanging around inside - six if he’s counting the dead one - so he doesn’t think he’ll be waiting long.

 

The door swings open sooner than Nathan is ready for. A woman stands in front of him, tall and frighteningly beautiful with long curly hair and her shoulders pushed back. She smiles vaguely at Nathan, like she’s waiting for his to say something meaningful. Meanwhile, Nathan is having a hard enough time getting his jaw up off the floor.

 

“Can I help you?” The woman asks eventually, leaning against the door with her chin jutted our elegantly. Nathan thinks he recognises her from somewhere but he’s not sure where.

 

“Well, hello.” He replies. “Uh. I’m Nathan.”

 

“Hello…” the woman repeats slowly like Nathan has escaped from the hospital. Nathan isn’t sure she’s far wrong but for the purposes of being allowed in and seeing who he assumes is her beloved, cherished brother he keeps mum about this.

 

“Luther asked me to come?” He says eventually, remembering what the man had told him.

 

“Oh!” The woman seems surprised, but she holds the door open anyway. Whilst Nathan considers himself a master at karate and close combat, she must decide he doesn’t hold much of a threat because she closes the door behind him and tells him to follow her. Her heels click rhythmically against the floor as she leads him deeper into the house.

 

They pass a chandelier on the floor at one point which Nathan doesn’t question. He’s living in a community centre with a thin, shabby mattress on the floor and a wank sock to keep him company. He’s not exactly the best person to judge someone’s interior design.

 

“Luther,” the woman calls suddenly, startling Nathan. They come to a halt outside another large, smart looking door. Nathan hears movement from inside and then the door is creaking open and one of the biggest men Nathan has ever seen is stepping out. He sees the woman first and his face breaks into an involuntary smile which then fades a little, morphing into a more formal expression - accompanied by a light blush - when he notices Nathan.

 

“Nathan’s here for you.” The woman says. Nathan blinks in confusion, as does the stranger in front of him.

 

“That’s great,” the man says, looking perplexed. “But… who are you again?”

 

That’s how Nathan finds out Klaus is an asshole, which is kind a relief actually because if he was a nice person then he probably wouldn’t want to spend much time with Nathan after he figured out who he really is. Klaus comes sauntering down the stairs half a minute later, clearly high and laughing at nothing.

 

“Nathan!” He cries, waving a cigarette in his direction. “You met them then? Sorry about that, just my… sense of humour?” He’s barely walking in a straight line, and for some reason Nathan finds that weirdly endearing.

 

“Klaus?” The man who is clearly Luther frowns, sniffing. “Can you not smoke weed in the house? You know dad would have hated it.”

 

“Well, thank God he’s dead, right?” Klaus takes a particularly obnoxious drag of the blunt and gives Luther a shit eating grin.

 

This is how Nathan finds out for sure that his father has just died, which is also probably for the best. Nathan might have made some insensitive joke about his daddy or something equally inappropriate. Although it doesn’t seem like there’s been any love lost, so maybe it wouldn’t have been too big a deal. Nathan asks him about this when they’re alone, hiding out in Klaus room. Klaus has a window propped half open so he can blow the smoke out there.

 

“So, your dad just died?” Klaus turns to him, offering him the unlit end of the cigarette. Nathan takes it gratefully and inhales, letting himself sink back into the bed and relax. Klaus considers the question.

 

“Yeah, but he wasn’t really our dad. We were more like… science experiments.” Nathan attributes the startling honestly to the fact that Klaus looks really fucking high right now. “He turned us into the emotionally stunted adults we are today, and look, I have a drug habit to boot. Got dear old daddy to thank for that.”

 

Klaus grins as he speaks and wrestles the joint away from Nathan, rolling onto his back on the bed next to Nathan. They both stare up at the ceiling.

 

“Sounds like you’ve got some major daddy issues there, my friend.” Nathan turns into his side to stare at Klaus, examining his face. He leans in a little closer to inhale the smoke as Klaus attempts to blow rings. Addictive.

 

“You sound like you know what you’re talking about there.” Klaus replies in between drags of the joint. He hands it back to Nathan and gestures for him to go on. “Do tell.”

 

“Oh, you know.” Nathan waves his hand airily, feeling strangely exposed. “Deadbeat dad, dead brother, dad’s fault. What can I say? Maybe daddy issues are just the norm now.”

 

“Maybe,” Klaus hums absentmindedly, propping himself up on an elbow to stare down at Nathan. “You know, you’re a lot more fun to get high with than Ben.” Nathan is about to reply with some witty comeback or a sarcastically heartfelt reply, but Klaus leans down and kisses him before he has chance.

 

It’s not Nathan’s first time kissing a dude, but it’s the first time he’s ever consciously wanted to kiss one. Klaus’ lips are soft but firm and he tastes of weed and alcohol. It’s a strangely appealing combination and Nathan finds himself opening his mouth wider, sliding his tongue alongside Klaus’ to taste more of it. When Klaus finally pulls away Nathan is panting wetly; Klaus dissolves into a bout of unexplained giggles, which of course sets Nathan off.

 

“You’re really messed up, you know that?” Nathan gasps through his laughter, clambering up and sitting on Klaus’ thighs. He plucks the joint from between Klaus’ lips and inhales once before leaving it to burn out on the bedside table. He leans down to kiss Klaus again.

 

He misses community service the next day.


End file.
